Historical Record of the Seventy-first Regiment, Highland Light Infantry / Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1777, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1852

by Richard Cannon

On the 24th of May, Major-General (afterwards Sir William) Medows assumed the command, and reviewed the army, which on the 26th of that month was put in movement towards the Coimbatore country.

The army reached Caroor, a fortified place, on the 15th of June, which the enemy abandoned on the approach of the British, who remained in this position, strengthening Caroor, and collecting grain, until the 2d of July, when they moved for Arrivacourchy, arriving there on the 5th, and continuing their route by Tooramboddy, arrived on the 10th of July at Daraporam. At this latter place was found a large supply of grain and other necessaries, which had been left by the enemy.

During the march to Coimbatore, where the British arrived on the 22d of July, Tippoo’s irregular horse were very active in hovering around, for the purpose of picking up stragglers and baggage.

The army halted at Coimbatore, and detachments were sent off to reduce Dindigul, Errode, and Palghautcherry. The flank companies of the Seventy-first regiment, commanded by Captains Phineas M^cIntosh and James Robertson, were employed upon the latter service. In August the whole of the cavalry and the advance had been pushed forward to the Boovany, near to the Gudzelhetty Pass. Tippoo Saib, profiting by the divided state of the British force, descended with his whole army, and after a very severe conflict obliged Lieut.-Colonel Floyd to fall back. The troops from Coimbatore had marched to his support, and on the junction being effected, Tippoo retired. The British returned to Coimbatore on the 23d of September.

Upon the march of the main body, the flank companies of the Seventy-first and Seventy-second were withdrawn from the siege of Palghautcherry, and ordered to take post in the fort of Coimbatore; and on the return of the army they rejoined the regiment.

The army was again put in motion on the 29th of September, proceeding towards the Boovany by Shawoor and Coopachitty-pollum, where the troops arrived a few hours after Tippoo had left it. Some elephants, bullocks, and camels loaded with rockets, fell into the hands of the British.

On the 4th of October the army arrived at Errode, the enemy keeping a respectful distance during the march; and on the 6th of that month it was ascertained that he had arrived with his whole force at Darraporam, against which he opened his batteries on the 8th. The fort had no cannon mounted, and the garrison, consisting of a hundred Europeans and two hundred sepoys, capitulated on honorable terms, to which the enemy strictly adhered.

The British army moved on the 5th of October, and on the 15th encamped in the neighbourhood of Coimbatore, where Lieut.-Colonel Stuart joined from Palghautcherry, after having taken the place, and left it in a tolerable state of defence. On the 20th of October, all the heavy baggage having been deposited in the fort of Coimbatore, the army recommenced moving, directing its march towards Errode, by Avinochy and Perentore, where it arrived on the 2d of November. On the 8th the army proceeded in the direction of Bovaneore, and thence to a ford about three miles below Errode, the whole crossing the Cavery on the 9th and 10th, while Tippoo marched with his entire force to attack a division under the orders of Lieut.-Colonel Hamilton Maxwell, of the Seventy-fourth Regiment, then in the Bharamahl country. On the 11th of November the army moved by Sankerrydroog for the Tappoor Pass, and ascended on the 14th, encamping at Adamancottah, in the Bharamahl country; marched again on the 15th, and on the 17th effected a junction with Lieut.-Colonel Maxwell at Darrampoury. This officer had under his orders the Seventy-fourth and Seventy-sixth King’s regiments, the fourth battalion of Madras Europeans, the third, seventh, thirteenth, fourteenth, twenty-first, twenty-sixth, and twenty-seventh Bengal sepoys.

The Seventy-fourth joined the Seventy-first and Seventy-second Regiments in the second brigade; and Lieut.-Colonel Maxwell assumed the command of the left wing in the place of Colonel Brydges, who was appointed to command at Trichinopoly.